how to make a bed from pallets
Furniture made from pallets always saves time and money, since the necessary materials are inexpensive and do not require additional skills, and, importantly, eliminate the need to look for a qualified specialist. Making a bed from pallets with your own hands is not difficult; almost anyone can handle this work quite effectively.
There are a wide variety of design ideas available here, it all depends on your creativity. You can design a pallet bed according to your needs and available space. This article features several ideas including a simple podium bed, pallet kids' beds , beds with lights, and more. And also some great examples of how to make a bed headboard from pallets . All presented projects with step-by-step photos and links to instructions on the source website.
More about decorating
Proper decoration plays an important role in interior design, because a simple wooden bed will not look very aesthetically pleasing against the background of modern furniture, curtains and household appliances. You need to learn how to properly decorate a bed. There are several tricks for this. If your bed has a headboard, it can be decorated with spectacular paintings or ornaments made using a jigsaw or a special burner . Paint the bed itself in the color you like, which will harmonize with the interior of the bedroom.
Pallet beds with lighting
Note! When decorating a children's bed made from wooden pallets, you can use delicate fabric to create a canopy. Silk fabric is best suited for this.
For a minimalist bedroom setting, where the bed is not only the central piece of furniture, but often the only one, pallets are perfect
If you wish, you can mount LEDs into the headboard , thereby creating romantic lighting. They can be supplemented with hanging electric lamps - one on each side. However, it doesn’t matter what exactly you decorate your bed with. The main thing is to do it with your soul! This is the only way to achieve the perfect combination of beauty and home comfort.
A bed made of pallets is not poverty, but style
Where to get pallets
The best part is that you can get pallets completely free of charge. It is worth asking in large shopping centers and construction stores. Some companies are willing to provide them free of charge. You can find free pallets through advertisements on specialized websites.
Pallets are wooden structures for transporting or storing different types of cargo.
If you couldn’t find free material, don’t worry. Pallets are sold in wholesale and retail quantities. Companies and individuals sell new and used pallets.
A standard pallet consists of wooden boards that are located at a short distance from each other.
First try: option for beginners
Place several pallets together, carefully fasten them together with nails or screws. Place a mattress of the required size or the top of an old folding sofa on the resulting frame. Using this principle, you can make both a single and a family bed from 6-8 pallets.
- Two standard pallets (1.2 x 1.0 x 0.12 m) connected along the narrow side will create a base for a low bed measuring 2.20 m long and 1 m wide.
- Three Euro pallets (1.2 x 0.8 x 0.12 m), fastened on the wide side, form a frame 2.40 m long and 1.20 m wide.
If you do not like a low sleeping place, lay the platforms in two or three layers. Holes are drilled in the adjacent boards with a drill and screws are screwed in or nails are driven in. On the reverse side, it is advisable to fasten the frame with transverse boards so that it does not loosen or make cuts in the boards and tighten them with strong cords or elastic bands.
The headboard and footboard will give the finished look and originality of the bed. A bed with a headboard does not have to be placed close to the wall so that pillows do not fall off, and in cool weather it is convenient to place a blanket at the feet so that it does not end up on the floor. The easiest way to make a headboard and footboard is to secure two or three whole pallets in the head part of the frame, and halves sawn in half at the legs. But they can also be assembled from individual boards, which are cut into fragments of the required length and fixed to the frame horizontally or vertically.
It is convenient to attach lamps and shelves for small items on a high plank headboard; the boards can be decorated with carvings or inlays, metal and wooden plates. The pallets or their parts from which you are going to make a headboard and footboard need to be cleaned and sanded very carefully, especially if they are not new! After this, they are processed in the same way as the frame: covered with stain, varnished or painted.
Brief step-by-step instructions with photos: a simple option (click the picture to enlarge):
Rules for choosing a mattress for a homemade bed made from pallets
The mattress for a homemade bed is selected taking into account the structural features of the frame. The dimensions of the bed may be slightly smaller than the size of the pedestal made from pallets. Anyone can create a bed from pallets with their own hands, but you will have to choose a mattress for it from the available range. You should focus on personal needs and recommendations of specialists.
Criteria for choosing a mattress:
- User age. Young people under the age of 25 should use a hard springless mattress made from coconut fiber. Such a sleeping place will be useful for children and adolescents whose spine is still developing. For people over 25 years old, a mattress with an independent spring block is suitable.
- Spring stiffness. The indicator is designated by the letter “F”. A digital gradation from 1 to 3 (soft, medium hard and hard) is also used. Double mattresses can use two spring blocks with different degrees of hardness. They will come in handy for couples with a large weight difference. Hardness also depends on the type of top layer of filler (coconut coir, latex, polyurethane foam).
- User weight. The version with soft springs is suitable for users weighing up to 60 kg; the medium-hard mattress is designed for a load of 60-100 kg. Reinforced products are used for users weighing over 110 kg.
Furniture makers in their master classes often recommend first purchasing a mattress, the characteristics of which can be relied upon when drawing up a drawing of a future bed. It is advisable to use an orthopedic mattress upholstered in natural fabrics. The cost of such a product will be several times higher than the cost of manufacturing the frame, but the comfort of the sleeping place depends on the quality of the mattress.
Decorative items and interior elements made using the handmade technique are considered an exclusive design solution. The bed is made from high-quality pallets made according to European standards and is extremely durable. It is suitable for transportation and re-installation. This budget furniture will look perfect both in the interior of a small country house and in the bedroom of a luxury apartment.
Preparatory activities
The popularity of furniture made in eco-style is only growing over time, so many people want to assemble a luxurious bed from pallets with their own hands. Fortunately, you can find many different diagrams and step-by-step instructions for making such structures on the Internet. The process itself can be roughly divided into several stages: calculating the dimensions of the wooden product, choosing the design of the future structure and the actual assembly. Let's consider each of these stages separately.
Soft corner in the kitchen made from pallets
Calculation of the future bed with drawings
Since the design of the bed is very simple, it can be made even without drawings. But if this is your first time encountering a tree, then first it is advisable to prepare a diagram indicating all the dimensions of the bed.
Pallet bed drawing
On a note! It is not necessary to look for whatman paper, pencils and a ruler for the drawing, since you can even do it by hand. The main thing is that everything is clear to you during the manufacturing process. Many people sketch out a diagram with a pen in a notebook to assemble a bed, and this is quite enough.
Bed made of euro pallets in loft style
Material selection
Only high-quality pallets are suitable for the job, so you need to choose them taking into account some nuances. The ideal option for creating furniture would be the following pallets:
- without any damage or broken structural elements;
- without through cracks in the boards;
- there should be no rot on the wood, because the structure will be varnished. The presence of even small putrefactive spots is unacceptable.
It is important to choose the right pallets for the job
If there are knots on the pallet, this is not a problem. It is difficult to find wooden structures without such defects, so you can use them to make a bed.
Choosing a design design
A huge advantage of products made from pallets is their configuration, so when creating a bed you can give free rein to your imagination , creating original shapes of the bed. But if you don't want to deviate from standard shapes and sizes, you can choose one of the designs below.
Bed design may vary
Table. Pallet bed design.
| Type of construction, photo | Description |
| Bed with box | The design includes one row of pallets and a special box for a mattress. You can make both a double and a single bed. But if two people sleep on it, then not one, but two boxes are installed on pallets. |
| Bed with headboard | Often in furniture stores you can see a bed with a small headrest, which can also be made using pallets. Of course, this design is not suitable for everyone, because it requires additional time. |
| Children's bed | The ideal solution if there is a child in the family would be to create a bed with special sides. For this undertaking, one pallet is enough, which will make it possible to save money when creating an already inexpensive structure. |
| Illuminated bed | This project does not require a special drawing, since the bed is made in exactly the same way as in the previous versions. But a special strip with LEDs is passed through the holes in the pallets. You can choose the number of ribbons and their color at your discretion. |
| Bed on wheels | Another type of bed made from pallets. But if in most options the bed is placed almost forever, then here, thanks to small wheels, you can regularly move it around the room. If you don't like to sleep in the same place, then a pallet bed on wheels is perfect for you. |
It is not necessary to make the stock strictly according to the traditional plan. If you wish, you can use your imagination and build what you want. This is the beauty of using pallets.
Tools
To speed up the process of making a bed, it is advisable to prepare everything you need in advance. The work does not require special knowledge, therefore the set of tools is reduced to a minimum. Let's look at the most necessary tools and materials for making furniture.
What tools are needed for the job?
To assemble the bed you may need the following tools:
- set of drills;
- crosshead screwdriver;
- nails or screws for fastening pallets together;
- Sander. If you don't have it, you can use sandpaper;
- hammer;
- saw for cutting off excess parts;
- electric drill.
Convenient to use jigsaw
After the structure is assembled, it will require external processing. For this purpose you may need:
- painting kit including roller and brushes;
- dye;
- varnish;
- a special primer designed for wood.
Construction painting kit
If you still decide to assemble a glowing bed from pallets , then in addition to the above tools and materials you need to prepare:
- extension cord (select the length based on the distance between the outlet and the future bed);
- special mounts for LED strips;
- glowing element.
LED strips
Once you have prepared everything you need, you can proceed directly to assembling the bed. Just don't forget to buy a mattress for her.
